An Ottawa teen who admitted to vandalizing religious centres across the city with hate speech last November has apologized to those he hurt and says he is willing to participate in a collaborative justice program.

The about-face in the youth’s attitude comes after nine months in custody and just two days before Ontario Court Justice Peter Griffiths is set to impose a sentence on the 18-year-old man, who cannot be named because he was a youth when he committed the offences.

“I’m sorry for the people in the communities that were affected,” the teen said when given the opportunity to address those in the courtroom Monday.

The teen, who hopes to work in the trades field once out of custody, is also now willing to engage in restorative justice, despite what Griffiths called an “on again/off again” relationship with the collaborative justice program.

The youth was arrested in November 2016 for spray-painting racist symbols and slogans on six religions institutions — two of which occurred in one night. He did not initially want to participate in any such justice program despite the willingness of the faith community leaders victimized in his week-long attacks to be involved.

In February, the teen pleaded guilty to his offences including inciting hatred, threatening people because of their race or religion, and possessing dangerous weapons.

But after a series of “objectively concerning” incidents in June, the Crown withdrew support of the collaborative justice offer.

In an incident two months ago, the teen attacked a Muslim youth in the detention facility after the youth was completing morning prayers. The teen was also found to be in possession of written material with the words “kill the k—kes” written on it.

Several months before that in December, the teen had also drawn a swastika at the youth detention facility. Griffiths said that drawing the swastika was “not illegal,” although Assistant Crown Attorney Moiz Karimjee argued that while not illegal, it was a concern especially while the teen was in custody for hate crimes.

Karimjee, after a failed attempt to get the teen sentenced as an adult, asked that the young man be sentenced to an additional year in custody and two years of probation.

He urged the judge and the court to sentence the teen with the purpose of sending a “message of abhorrence of the accused’s conduct and to the community at large.” Karimjee said such a sentence would be “in protection of the public” especially given “the current climate of hate.”

Racial and political tensions continue to mount after an American white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia on Aug. 12 that led to one woman rammed to death by a vehicle allegedly driven by a man who espoused white supremacist views.

Karimjee also made a rare request to have the offender receive no credit for time served at a youth detention facility before his sentencing. The request was made in order to maximize the amount of time the courts would be able to monitor the offender under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Most adult offenders receive credit for any pre-sentence custody served.

The teen has a prior youth record for a racially motivated assault and a separate assault and robbery that saw him brandish a knife and threaten an elderly woman. When the teen was arrested by Ottawa police in November 2016 for the hate crimes, he had a BB gun, a hammer and a knife in his possession.

Karimjee said if the teen gets the change to see the human face of the people he has hurt, there may yet be hope for change.

The Crown asked for the probation period to include that the teen comply with random searches by police and provide any internet devices for searching, considering that the planning and learning of the racist symbols and ideologies primarily occurred with the assistance of the internet.

The youth told the court he might need the internet to find work in the future but he would be fine giving police the authority to see which sites he would be visiting.

Defence lawyer Jasna Drnda argued the teen should be released immediately and asked the judge to impose a two-year probation period.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Market to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.